Two Strikes for Paul Handoko

Paul Handoko, a Jakarta businessman, has been found guilty in two separate trials before the Denpasar courts for acts committed in connection to his failed attempt to wrest control of a piece of premium beach property on Sanur Beach.

Strike One

On April 1, 2010, a judicial panel led by Firman Tambunan declared that Paul had been proven to have committed the crime of falsifying documents as proscribed by the Indonesian Criminal code and was sentenced to three months imprisonment.

The court found that Handoko had collaborated with now-deceased Jakarta businessman, Widodo Sukarno, to seize control three pieces of land and a villa in the possession of a Singaporean businessman. The court found that Handoko had falsified reports regarding the loss of land certificates in order to obtain replacement certificates that could then be fraudulently transferred to his name.

Strike Two

During the investigative process prior to his trial and conviction for falsifying documents in January 2009, Handoko was brought to the prosecutor's office in Denpasar for questioning. During that visit, Handoko, in an attempt to avoid being photographed, struck out at a Radar Bali photographer resulting in facial injuries to the journalist.

Charged under the Press Law, Handoko was sentenced on July 1, 2010, to an additional one month in jail.

Both sentences are under appeal by Handoko who remains free pending a final decision from the courts.